A California couple is behind bars after pleading guilty to torturing and murdering their seven-year-old adopted daughter.

According to CNN, Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz of Paradise, California beat seven-year-old Lydia Schatz to death because they believe “God” wanted them to. The couple beat Lydia for seven consecutive hours, with breaks for prayer, on the day she died. When police arrived at the Schatz residence, Lydia was still alive. An officer administered CPR, but it was too late.

“We have heard the phrase ‘death by a thousand lashes,” Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey told CNN. “That’s basically what this was.”

Lydia was beaten with, among other things, a 15″ plumbing supply tube, called a “biblical rod” by the Schatzes.

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God be merciful to us sinners.

Quote from: IoanC

the best way of conveying God's love to people is through your own presence and deeds.

No longer posting on this forum. Thanks to all the helpful people who inspired me. God bless.

I am going to say it. These types of people are not Christians as we, as Orthodox faithful, define that term. I am sick and tired of people co-opting the Lord's name and the Bible to their own brain addled interpretations to justify whatever kind of conduct. They are either unchurched or heretics from our point of view and we, including our clergy and bishops, need to call a spade a spade and constantly work to distance us from such perfidy. The media is all to quick to lump all believers into the same boat and we need to constantly show that is simply not true. Do you ever see a headline: "Atheists beat child to death, claim genetics made them do it."

We can go on and on about the papacy, purgatory, the IC and whatever to what end? While we fiddle people like these parents are out there doing the work of the devil and blaspheming the Lord's name in the process.

One of the biggest misconceptions that most folks have is that corporal punishment of children is 'per se' indicative of child abuse. In my state, New York, and in most states, parents have the right to utilize corporal punishment in raising children. The kicker, so to speak, is that corporal punishment must not be 'excessive' - a standard which is surely subjective. However, a rule of thumb is: leave no marks, do not use an 'implement' to punish the child and know when to stop. The cases with court intervention that were not clear cut (like the nuts in the article) over my thirty year career usually involved at least two of the three situations I indicated. Granted there are many right out of college children services case workers with 'zero tolerance' for corporal punishment but the judges usually push those types into the real world after they lose several removal cases and embarrass their supervisors or the DSS Commissioner. Of course, when you guess wrong and the punishment results in serious injury, then the same people hang you out to dry. That's life......

While there is a fine line between spanking and child abuse, the line between spanking and torture is as thick as they get. Anyone who can be described as torturing their children to death cannot claim to be just disciplining their children, and the bible certainly does not suggest the torture of children is a good or possitive thing.

While there is a fine line between spanking and child abuse, the line between spanking and torture is as thick as they get. Anyone who can be described as torturing their children to death cannot claim to be just disciplining their children, and the bible certainly does not suggest the torture of children is a good or possitive thing.

True.

Lord have mercy.

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He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end.

One of the biggest misconceptions that most folks have is that corporal punishment of children is 'per se' indicative of child abuse. In my state, New York, and in most states, parents have the right to utilize corporal punishment in raising children. The kicker, so to speak, is that corporal punishment must not be 'excessive' - a standard which is surely subjective. However, a rule of thumb is: leave no marks, do not use an 'implement' to punish the child and know when to stop. The cases with court intervention that were not clear cut (like the nuts in the article) over my thirty year career usually involved at least two of the three situations I indicated. Granted there are many right out of college children services case workers with 'zero tolerance' for corporal punishment but the judges usually push those types into the real world after they lose several removal cases and embarrass their supervisors or the DSS Commissioner. Of course, when you guess wrong and the punishment results in serious injury, then the same people hang you out to dry. That's life......

Agreed.

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Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words. -Goethe

I once heard a monk say, “The person of prayer does not need to go any further than his own heart to find the source of all violence in the world.” -Fr. Stephen Freeman

You are placed on worning for seven days for getting off topic. You may PM Father George if you disagree. Second Chance

« Last Edit: August 18, 2011, 05:12:18 PM by Robb »

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Men may dislike truth, men may find truth offensive and inconvenient, men may persecute the truth, subvert it, try by law to suppress it. But to maintain that men have the final power over truth is blasphemy, and the last delusion. Truth lives forever, men do not.-- Gustave Flaubert

If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.